Same but different: how Xi and China welcomed Trump and Putin

Key points

• Days after Donald Trump was greeted in Beijing with a military band, an honour guard and dozens of youths waving American and Chinese flags, Vladimir Putin arrived in China to an almost identical spectacle.
• The choreography of the two welcomes appeared deliberately mirrored, designed to showcase Beijing’s ability to host leaders from Washington and Moscow with equal grandeur.
• But China also made sure the differences were noticed.
• Trump was met at the airport by China’s vice-president, a largely ceremonial role outside the Communist party’s real power structure, while Putin was welcomed by a sitting member of the politburo, the party’s top decision-making body, a subtle signal that China sees Moscow as a trusted partner of an emerging non-western world order led by Beijing.
• The Kremlin appeared sensitive to the comparisons.